Once Upon A Dream
by ShadowKissedDreamer
Summary: Hermione is a girl of many mysteries. She keeps her lies close to her heart, and her secrets even closer. After the Golden Trio disbanded, she returned to Hogwarts to complete her Seventh year. Surprisingly, almost the entire Slytherin crew was back, including one Mr. Draco Malfoy. And just when it looked rough, she finds out more lies and secrets that even her heart can't handle.
1. Damn The Fates

**Okay. So, is there some rehab center where you can go for writing too much Dramione? If do, I need to jump on board with that..but anywhos. This is slightly different than what I've written before, so, don't hurt me if it's bad. Gomen, gomen. (That's Japanese for sorry.) I got the beginning from a manga called MYth. It's about Greek gods.**

**Full Summary: **_Hermione Granger is a girl of many mysteries. She keeps her lies close to her heart, and her secrets even closer. After the war was won, and the Golden Trio disbanded, she returned to Hogwarts to actually complete her Seventh year. To her surprise, almost the entire Slytherin crew was back, including one Mr. Draco Malfoy. And just when it looked rough enough, she finds out more lies and secrets that even _her _heart can't handle._

**I got the title from the song Lana del Rey recorded for Maleficent, "One Upon A Dream". If you want to know the meaning of why I did (because it'd be a long AN if I explained it) just shoot me a PM, or a review, and I'll tell ya!**

_**Once Upon A Dream, Chapter One.  
Damn The Fates.**_

_Finally. Time to return. _Hermione thought, yawning as she hopped out of bed. She had stayed in Harry's house with Ginny, instead of buying a flat. What was the point, if she was going to spend a year in a castle, anyways? The said girl rushed into Hermione's room with a grin on her face and a squeal that was heard from down the hall.

"What is it, Gin?" The brunette asked, uneasily.

"HARRY'S HERE!" Ginny screamed, pulling Hermione into a tight hug before letting go and giggling. Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. He had become an Auror, and had actually done missions worldwide. Him stopping in Godric's Hollow only two weeks after his mission had begun was odd. Hermione followed her friend to the kitchen and grinned as she spotted the raven hair of her big brother.

"'Mione! How've you been?" Harry asked, pulling her into a bear hug. Hermione laughed and squeezed out of his arms.

"I've been alright, Harry. Only been a few days since you Owled. We leave in an hour, though." The girl mused.

"I know. I was gonna bring you guys. Least I could do for my wonderful fiancee and sister." He replied. Hermione nodded and went to her room and showered. After giving herself and thorough scrubbing, she pulled some clothes from her closet and dressed. It consisted of a strapless peplum top in a deep shade of green, a pair of black skinny jeans, and some black ballet flats. She pulled a black blazer over it and grabbed her wand.

"Mobiliarbus." She muttered, quickly making her trunk float over to the front door before looking for the couple. She found them snuggled together on the couch.

"As much as I hate to break this up, we'll miss the train." Hermione said. The two smiled and they walked over to the front door. They grabbed their things and headed to the apparition point.

* * *

"DAMMNIT HARRY, HOW HARD IS IT TO APPARATE TO A SIMPLE SPOT IN A TRAIN STATION THAT YOU'VE BEEN TO ALMOST SEVEN TIMES EVERY YEAR!?" Ginny screamed as they passed through the barrier to Platform 9 and 3/4.

"Sorry, babe. Not my fault you were whispering-" Harry was cut off.

"That's enough!" Hermione stopped them. "I'm going now. Bye, Harry." She finished, giving Harry a hug. Before she could walk away, she heard a voice she dreaded.

"Look, it's Potty and the Weaslette!" The boy crowed.

"Oh my god, is that Granger?" A shrill voice called. Hermione turned on her heel to the voices and in the blink of eye, had her wand out.

"Petrificus Totalus! RictuSEMPRA! FURNUNCULUS!" She shot out. Draco was put into a body bind. Pansy was laughing like an idiot. Both were covered in boils. A train attendant quickly righted the situation and the first thing Draco did was grab Hermione by her wrist and pull her to him.

"No one, and I mean _no one_, gives me boils. You'll pay, you filthy _mudblood_!" He whispered harshly in her ear. She pushed him away and stumbled, tripping over Pansy's foot, and falling on her butt. Laughter erupted, and Hermione refrained from screaming when she saw who was trying to help her up.

"Luna!" The girl moaned. "Help." Was all she said. The blond girl smiled her wispy little smile and pulled her up with surprising force.

"Don't worry about them, 'Mione. They're just angry because _you made Head Girl and can give out detention to each of these gits!_" Luna announced. Everyone scattered, except the Dark Prince and his harlot.

"Ha! That's a lie. You can't be Head Girl." Pansy sneered.

"And why is that?" Hermione retorted.

"Because I made Head Boy. If you're Head Girl, that means," Draco huffed.

"We have to share a dorm? NO!" Hermione finished, levitating her trunk and speeding away.

_**-You'll Love Me At Once-**_

Hermione walked out of her compartment and headed to the Prefect's compartment. She'd have to go over the schedules with Malfoy. She'd pulled her hair up into a high ponytail and opened the door. Most students were there, and Draco had his arm draped over a few of the women.

"Malfoy. Can't you wait until we get to the castle, or did you just not get any during the summer?" She asked snarkily. Draco shot up and walked towards her, finger-pointing. She slid past him as she tripped him, making him fall out of the room. She flicked her hand and the door shut and locked.

"Now. As you can see, the Head Boy and Girl are from different houses, which is rare." Hermione looked down on the floor, seeing Draco's planning sheets. "For once, that Snake has managed to do something right. Even mixed the houses." She murmured. "Alright, as you can see, we have fewer prefects than we did before. That's because Minerva believes we can take care of the castle on our own. So, these are the assignments," Before she could say them, Draco had managed to get back into the compartment.

Hermione squealed as he pulled her out and slammed the door. The noise attracted the attention of others, and the poked their heads out to see the two Heads fighting.

"I swear to Merlin's mum, Granger, pull something like that again, and I'll personally Kedavra you myself." Draco growled.

"Like that's supposed to scare me? I've already got that damned scar from your aunt -thank God she's dead- I don't need another threat from a Malfoy." Hermione muttered. He raised his hand to strike her but she looked up at him with a hard gaze. "Go ahead, hit me! I'm of filthy blood, I need to know my place, right?" She asked. He faltered and she punched him in the chest. "_Well!?_" She cried. He settled for shoving her into the compartment door before storming off.

Hermione rolled her eyes before opening the door.

"Ginny Weasley and Pixie Malfoy, Ivan Hanes and Blaise Zabini, Christina Hathaway and Lavender Brown, and Pansy Parkinson and Xander Martin. Change these and I'll choke you to death. We'll talk more at the castle." She said before shutting the door and leaving.

* * *

Of course, they had to hang back and make sure everyone was off the train. Even if they were angry at each other, they were responsible. Draco waited outside as Hermione stepped out and tried to say something.

"No. Hush." She said, walking past him and to the carriages. She stood and patted the Thestral.

"You can see it?" He asked.

"Death Eaters gave me one last look at my parents before making them kill each other." She muttered, climbing into the carriage.

"My father murdered my mother.." Draco whispered. Hermione looked over at him to see if he was joking. She slowly reached over and gave him an awkward one-armed hug. A half-smile appeared on his face and he patted Hermione's head.

"Way to comfort a man, Granger." He muttered. "But like I was trying to say, I wanted to apologise for the horrible things Aunt Bella did to you. I thought she only tortured you.."

"Oh, if it was torture, that would've been better than what I got." Hermione finished as she pulled her blazer off. In the middle of her left arm, was a scar in the word 'Mudblood'. Draco grabbed her arm, prodding the skin around the scar.

"Granger.._Hermione_. Tell me she didn't do anything else." He mumbled.

"If it helps, I have asthma, depression and hip pains." She said with a shrug. Draco quickly pulled her into a hug and she laughed a bit.

_This might not be so bad, after all. _She thought. The carriage stopped and she pulled away, opening the door. To her surprise, Pansy jumped into Draco's lap, shoving Hermione out of the carriage. Landing on her hip, the Gryffindor let out a cry of pain before standing up and brushing her jeans off.

"Oh, shut up, you little tramp, dressing like that to get attention." Pansy muttered.

"Fifty points, Pansy." Draco said, pushing her away and climbing out of the carriage.

"Along with a detention." Hermione finished, as Pansy gaped at the two of them.

"But Drakey-!" "I don't know who Drakey is, but he sure as hell isn't me." Draco cut her off with a grin. "Just go, Pansy. You've done enough." He said. The black-haired girl harrumphed and sulked away.

Hermione took a step and immediately clutched her hip. Lifting her shirt, she saw an angry bruise starting to form. Before she could limp anymore, Draco held his arms out.

"Would you prefer me to carry you, or do you want to lean on me?" He asked cautiously. Hermione smiled and gladly let him carry her into the castle. Immediately, whispers and gasps could be heard. Draco made his way over to McGonagall and cleared his throat.

"Oh, Mr. Malfoy! Why is Ms. Granger in your arms?" She asked the question that everyone wanted an answer to.

"See, Pansy pushed her out of the carriage, and she landed on her hip. She can't walk. Where are the Head Dorms?" Draco asked, arching one of his brows.

"Um, oh! The old Astronomy Tower. The a painting has not been made for it yet, so there's a door. Shall I have dinner sent up?" She questioned.

"No thank you, Professor. We can stop by the Kitchens on our way." Hermione replied as Draco walked off.

Thankful everyone was in the Great Hall, the pair headed to the kitchens. There, they were given an assortment of items on a cart. Hermione used a spell to make it follow them as they made their way to the Astronomy Tower.

"So, Hermione, tell me about your summer." Draco inquired.

"Well, I went to France with Ginny. And I finally cut my hair, as you can see. And I got two tattoos. So yeah. That was all." She said. The boy's eyebrows scrunched together. She had cut her hair, so its full length was shown. It layered down to her mid-back.

"_That's all_? What're the tattoos?" He asked.

"Hm? Oh, one's right here." Hermione said, showing him her right hand. On her pinkie was a tattoo that looked like a red string tied in a loose bow.

"The Red String of Fate, eh?" Draco asked. Hermione laughed with a grin as they made it to the tower. "Yup." Was all she replied with. Draco swung the door open and sat Hermione down gently on a loveseat. They were in a little common room, with two loveseats and two couches. There was also a fireplace. On the side was a kitchenette with a fridge and other small items. On one side of the room, there were two doors. One said 'Hermione' and the other said 'Draco'. Opposite that, on the other side of the room, there were three doors. Draco walked over to one and opened it. A bathroom. He opened the one next to it and saw a small storage room, or at least, that's what it looked like. In the third room, there was a small library like room. There were multiple shelves, with Wizard books, along with Muggle books. Draco pulled on out and glance at it, walking out of the room.

"Nicholas Flamel. Huh." He said, sitting the book down. He looked up, seeing Hermione already eating. He sat down and began eating with her, going back to their earlier conversation.

"So, what's this other tattoo?" He asked.

"It's on my side." She said, slowly sitting up and raising the left side of her shirt. Under her breasts, it said "Ad infinitum." A smile graced Draco's face as he poked it.

"To infinity? Where's the 'and beyond'? Haven't found it yet?" He asked. She gave him a slight nod and dropped her shirt, standing up slowly. She gave a loud yawn and looked down at Draco.

"I'm gonna shower and go to bed. Goodnight, Draco."

"Goodnight, Hermione." He responded.

"And thanks." Was all he heard before she left.

**Aha~! You don't understand how excited I am to get this off the ground. The beginning ties into a manga I read, and the sub-plot revolves around a movie I haven't finished yet. And..aah! It makes me so excited! Lots of secrets going on, though. I have all my notes and everything.**


	2. The Prince and the Princess

**Hehe. So, I started typing this up as soon as I typed up the previous chapter. I'm working on these for a week before posting them. And also, I forgot to say in the last chapter, I don't own Harry Potter, that belongs to JK Rowling. I only own the plot and any new characters I add. (Like Pixiana Malfoy!)**

_**Once Upon A Dream, Chapter Two.  
The Prince and the Princess.  
**Hermione's Point of View._

I woke up and immediately regretted it. I sat up and looked down at myself. I had an oversized t-shirt on, that managed to fall under my knees and still be tight. I couldn't put any pants on, as that bruise would scream if I did. I shrugged and realised it was almost seven in the morning. Breakfast wouldn't start until 8. And going back to sleep was out. I decided to just see if Madame Pomfrey was awake, and ask for some of George and Fred's bruise removal paste. I limped out of the room to the small fridge. I pulled the note that was on it down and arched a brow.

_Granger,_

_Minerva came in a while after you went to bed and told me the new updates about the school. All seventh years don't have to wear school robes, but must wear something related to their house. Though I'm pretty sure everyone knows that already. She suggested a tie, or a scarf. We also have arm bands to wear, to show everyone we're the Heads. They're on the coffee table._

_-Draco_

_Hm. No uniforms? I could do with that._ I thought, before writing my note and placing it next to his. I summoned a loose dress and some hi-tops. The dress was a crisp deep red with a collar. The shoes were the same colour. I put them on right there (seeing as there was no chance of Draco waking up now), and headed out. I greeted the paintings and sighed when I finally got there. I knocked before walking in and groaned. Of course she wasn't here. The only person up now would be..ugh. Snape. With a sigh, I headed to the Dungeons. I walked into the Potions classroom to find him brewing a potion. He looked up at me then back to the potion.

"Granger. To what do I owe the pleasure of this glorious seven a.m. meeting?" He sneered.

"I was wondering if you had any burn removal paste by any chance?" I asked.

"And why do you need it?" He replied.

"Parkinson pushed me out of a carriage and I landed on my hip. Of course, it won't get rid of the pain..." I trailed off.

"Well, I don't, but I _do _have to key to Poppy's medical supply. I trust you can make it there and back?" He asked.

"Of course, Professor." I said, as he handed me a key. I thanked him and went back to the hospital wing. I quickly opened the cabinet where she kept supplies and found the paste. I took some and put it in a vial, deciding to put it on when I got back. I quickly made it back to the dungeons and returned the key, slipping out of the dark classroom without another word. I walked back into the Astronomy Tower to see Draco reading.

"We really need to make a painting for that door. Somone'll walk in, eventually." I said. He simply laughed before looking up.

"What have you been up to?" He asked. I held up the vial of paste.

"I had to get some bruise removal paste. It'll still hurt, though." I said. He nodded and I went to my room to get ready. It had been almost an hour and a half, and it would take a while to set. I pulled the dress off and kicked my shoes away, digging through my closet. I settled on an oversized sweater that was deep red and had yellow polka dots. I was putting the bruise paste on when Draco walked in.

"Er, Hermione, just so you-" He was cut off because he looked up.

"Hm?" I asked, turning around. I realised I didn't have pants on, and dropped the hem of the sweater, thankful it was big.

"Um..um..er. Uh. Mcgonagall wanted me to uh, tell you that, um, we have to make a painting, like you said. Um. Yeah." He stuttered, before walking out of the room. (_AN: Isn't OOC Draco adorable?) _

I laughed and pulled my shorts on, that were high-waisted, and kind of helped with the pain. Looking down, I saw that the bruise had faded already. Sending my thanks to the Weasley twins, I pulled my hi-tops back on, grabbed my satchel, and left the room. I stopped, almost tripping on Draco, and turned around, heading back into the room and grabbing the ring that I almost forgot. It was a simple little thing. It had a thin gold band with a 5 karat diamond, and it had little wire ears on top to look like a bunny. It was adorable, and I still don't remember where I got it from.

"You ready, Draco?" I asked, leaving the room. He nodded and we headed out. He stopped me and handed me the Head Girl badge. I thanked him and put it on my arm, and sliding it up to my upper arm, under my shoulder. Draco laughed and I turned to him.

"You look all serious, but I know how you are, and you're nervous." He said. I scoffed at him.

"Draco!" I huffed, as we entered the Great Hall. "How dare you?" I huffed at him. He grinned at me, tweaking my nose as I headed to my table. I blushed, sitting between Ginny and..

"Ron!?" I said, confused.

"Wotcher, 'Mione." He said with a grin.

"You're back? Is Harry coming back?" I asked, standing and looking for him. I saw him roll his eyes and sit me down. I huffed again and turned to him. "Well? Is he?"

He grinned, like he was trying to be wise. "Maybe, maybe not." Was all he said.

"Listen here, you prat, tell me right now, is my fiancé coming back, YES OR NO!?" Ginny asked, yelling the last part. All heads turned and I stood up and pushed Ginny down.

"Shall I dock points!?" I heard Draco call. I looked up with a laugh.

"No need. Gin is just worried about her dearest!" I yelled back. He gave me a thumbs up and I sat back down.

"Since when did you and that snake become friends?" Ron sneered.

"Ever since we had to share the Head dorms?" I said quizzically. Ron choked on his pumpkin juice and I raised a brow. As I stood, a small girl ran in, eyes searching frantically. Her eyes found mine and she grinned.

"'Mione!" She squealed. I walked up to her and gave her a hug.

"Pixie!" Pixie Malfoy. This tiny little seventh year was Draco's twin sister. She looked just like him, except she had her mother's blue eyes and her aunt's dark hair. Pixie giggled as Draco walked up to us. She gave him a hug and a kiss before bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Guess what, guys?" She asked, clapping her hands.

"What is it, Pixiana?" Draco asked right back.

"We've an Auror here~!" She cried.

"An Auror? Harry!" I squealed, rushing past the twins and into the Entrance Hall. There, in the middle of a mass of students, was Harry. The Malfoys were right behind me in parting the crowds. "Move! Move!" I yelled. No one budged. "Move or you all get detentions!" I yelled. They parted. I skipped over to him with a grin. He smiled and gave me a hug, placing his hands on my shoulders.

"You guys deserted me, so I decided to just tag along." He said. I chuckled and turned around, seeing Ginny fly out of the Great Hall. She ran and jumped into Harry's awaiting arms.

"Aw, Kodak moment." Was Draco's sarcastic reply. As if on cue, someone nearby snapped a photo. I laughed as they just stood there, hugging. "But you guys, you might wanna pick this up in the common room. You need to eat." He said, returning to his breakfast. I was about to leave when I remembered the owls. I walked back in just as a stack of envelopes fell onto my head. I looked up to see two different owls fly away from me. One was from Molly, and the other one was a Hogwarts owl. I opened Molly's first.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I hope you're having a great year! Ginny told me on your accomplishment of getting Head Girl, congratulations! I'm sure by now that you've found Harry and Ron back at the school. Also, can you give this copy of Witch Weekly to Ginny?_

_Lots of love,_  
_Molly Weasley._

I stuck the parchment back in its envelope, took the magazine out, then opened the second one. The wax seal said 'HOZ', someone I'd never heard of. The letter was written in spiderweb like script, and smelled faintly of perfume.

_To Madame Granger,_

_This letter is about to change your life. Don't say it won't, because it changed mine. When I widowed my first husband, I had sired a baby girl. Then, she was stolen and I was obliviated when she was five. The papers and memories have been returned to me. The next letter is from your big brother, along with the papers that confirm what I already know._

_You are my daughter. __Now, before you go on a rampage trying to figure out who we are, I'm going to tell you some important details._

_1. We are a pureblood family. In turn, you and your big brother are purebloods.  
2. You know your big brother. I don't know if you're best friends, but you know each other.  
3. He's a Slytherin._

_Now, if you don't want the pressures of being in this predicament, you can burn this letter, and you'll find out when you turn eighteen. Now, if you want to find out who we are, your brother's letter gives you a clue._

_From Mother,  
With love._

I stumbled back and braced myself on a wall, reading the letter once more. What? No! This wasn't true. It wasn't! I'd know if I were obliviated!

_No you wouldn't, you stupid girl. _That nagging voice in my head said. I turned around and grabbed the first person I saw with a satchel, and dragged them up to the Owlery.

* * *

I turned around to find Draco.

"Oh, thank Merlin it was you. Gin would've hexed someone and those two dunderheads would have pestered me." I said. He gave me a quizzical look.

"Give me a quill and a piece of parchment, while you read over this." I said, peeling the wax seal off of the letter and handing it to him, as he gave me what I needed. I sat on the floor and wrote messily.

_Dear mum and dad,_

_I just got an owl telling me that I was adopted. That I'm not even muggle-born! Tell me this isn't true. It can't be true! You'd tell me, wouldn't you?_

_-Hermione_

I folded it in half and beckoned my owl, Thorne, and tied the letter to her leg. "Send it to mum and dad, and don't leave until you get a response." I said. She nodded and flew off. I turned round to see Draco staring at me incredulously.

"You know I have to hex anyone who calls you a mudblood now, right?" He said. I arched a brow and he grinned. "Just looking out for a fellow royal." He said.

"Royal?"

"The prince and princess have to stick together." Was all he said, before handing the letter back to me. "Open the other one." He said. I peeled the wax off of this one, and pulled the letter out. I read it out loud.

_Dear Hermione,_

_If you opened this letter first, it'll make no sense to you, so read the other one you got with this letter. If you didn't, then you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. So, my mum told you about..you. Now, if I know you, you're probably going to head to the library and figure out anything you can. Which won't work. At all. All I can do is give you this file that was given to my mother. It's proof of your adoption._

_With some love,  
The Finest Place in England._

"What? The finest place in England? What the bloody hell does that mean!?" I shrieked, finishing the letter. The document fluttered out and I quickly grabbed it. I groaned in frustration."

"Ooh, it's true! It's legitimate. Except it has my birth mother's name, my birth father's name, and my real surname scratched out." I whined, giving the paper to Draco.

"Hey, you think we can ask Dumbledore to let us go this weekend?" He asked. I shrugged and stood up. "Where're you off to?" He asked.

"Where I always go. The library. But first, let's go talk to Dumbledore." I said.

* * *

We walked up to the stairwell, a grim look set on both of our faces.

"_Familiae_. Huh. How ironic." Draco said. I rolled my eyes as we walked down the stairs. Dumbledore looked up from his desk in confusion.

"Did I have an appointment with you two?" He asked.

"No sir, but we needed to talk to you urgently. It has to do with Hermione's bloodline." Draco said. The headmaster's eyebrows rose as we walked up to him and gave him the two letters and the document. He looked over them before looking up at me with sad eyes.

"Unfortunately Ms. Granger, I know who this person is, and I've been notified before hand. But I am not allowed to interfere in any way." He said.

"So it's a powerful pureblood family!" I said, clapping.

"What pureblood family isn't powerful?" Draco asked.

"Let's see. Weasley. Prince. Brown. Longbottom. Macmillan. Prewett. Slughorn. Potter..." I trailed off.

"Okay, enough." Was all he said. I smiled and turned back to Dumbledore. He simply shrugged before handing the papers back to me.

"It is out of my hands, Ms. Granger. But here, you can go visit the adoption center on your next break." He said.

"But professor! That's in three months!" I exclaimed. He shrugged again and I sighed.

"Thank you, professor. Do you need anything while I'm here?" I asked.

"Oh, we're hosting a Hallowe'en ball, tell your friends. I'll tell all at dinner. Goodbye, you two."

* * *

The rest of the day passed in a drone. I don't even remember what classes I had today. I left my last class (which was Potions) and walked into the dorm, finding Draco in the process of taking a shower. I walked over to the bathroom door and banged on it.

"Oi, Malfoy! Hurry up, because we need to have a meeting to figure out the Prefects' schedules." I yelled, then went to my room. I changed from my sweater to a plain black shirt and pulled on a pair of black sandals. It was starting to get chilly, so I had to make sure I stocked up on clothes. When I finished, Draco was dressed in a black v-neck shirt, a pair of jeans and some black trainers. He was in the process of drying his hair when he turned around. He wrapped the towel around his hand and snapped it at me. I squealed before running away, and with a grin, he followed me. By the time we got to the Great Hall, my hair was mussed and we were both out of breath.

"I'm going to kill you!" I yelped, rubbing my butt. He grinned as he opened the heavy oak door.

"D'you want a kiss, Granger?" He asked, making faces.

"No, not from you, you insufferable prick!" I whined, ignoring all the gaping people.

"You say that now, Granger.." He trailed off, taking my chin in his hand. "But what about in a month?" He said.

"A month? That's the dance. What do you-wait. You're not asking me to this stupid ball, are you?" I asked, aghast.

"Of course I am. The prince and the princess. And besides, you need to be exposed to new things." He replied, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

"I'll just go with Ron." I mumbled. Draco shook his head and pointed. Ron was being devoured by Lavender Brown, and he was enjoying it. I shuddered and shimmied out of his grip. "Then I won't go!" I said defiantly.

"Oh, you're definitely going. No ifs, ands, or buts." He said, turning to the suddenly quiet Hall. "Okay, Prefects! After dinner, meet us outside so we can have a meeting!" He called, and with a nod, he walked away.

"Attention, attention. Instead of a Hallowe'en feast, we will be having a Masquerade Ball, for fifth years and up. For the younger students, we will be having a movie marathon, thanks to the courtesy of Mr. Malfoy. During the Hogsmeade trip this weekend, the older students are allowed to floo, or apparate, to Diagon Alley. Only seventh years can apparate elsewhere, but must be back before curfew. That is all."

_**-You'll Love Me At Once-**_

"Hurry up, Pixiana! You're so damn slow!" Draco called with a grin. Pixie pouted as she caught up with the group of prefects. Some sniggered, but she pulled out the siguinature Malfoy-Black glare, and they all withered. With a laugh, she skipped up to Draco and I.

"So, Drakey, who're you going to the ball with?" She asked.

"Granger." He simply said, shooting a grin at me.

"Don't you think we should be on a first name basis?" I whined. He just barked out a laugh as we made it to the Room of Requirement. I walked past it three times, and it appeared. In it were ten chairs, arranged in a rectangle, each either blue, green, yellow, or red. Two of the chairs, green and red, were bigger and puffier. Draco and I sat in them while everyone else settled.

"Alright. The pairings are as they were before; Gin and Pixie, Ivan and Blaise, Candy and Lavender, Pansy and Xander, then Draco and I. He'll deal with the schedules." I said, curling my feet under me and tuning him out while they started chatting. I looked over the prefects, who had been at this school for the same length of time as me, but I'd barely noticed.

Xander Martin and Christina Hathaway were both Hufflepuffs. Xander was lanky, with square glasses and warm toned skin. He had shaggy brown hair, much like Harry's, and brown eyes. Christina had red hair that she dyed with Henna. Her natural colour was a mousy brown. She had pale skin and grey eyes. She was short, so I was taller than she was. I called her 'fun-sized', which generated the nickname Candy.

Pixie and her housemate, Ivan Hanes, were both Ravenclaws. Pixie and Candy were the same height, but belive it or not, Pixiana was much more mature. Her hair trailed down her back, all the way down to her lower back. Ivan, however, was dark-skinned with black hair and brown eyes. He was a bit taller than Pixie, challenging Draco for tallest student.

I tuned in when I heard my name come up. "...Hermione are going to the ball? Together!?" I heard Gin squeal. I blinked at looked at her with confusion. She giggled and patted my knee.

"It's alright, 'Mione. Just gossiping about you. What's this I hear about your little date? And I wasn't told?" Ginny asked.

"Calm down, Ginevra Molly. He asked me on the way here. Now come along doll, we need to plan." I simply said, standing up and dragging Ginny outside with me.

**I'm trying to make all the chapters equal length, but this one's a little longer. The last one was 2,600, this one was 3,400. So, eh.**


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